Liquid-distributing means.



PATBNTED OCT.. 8, 1907.

E. J'. MOORE. LIQUID DISTRIBUTING MEANS.

APPLIOATIN FILED JAN. 14. 1907.

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UNITED STATES EDWARD J. MOORE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

LIQIIID-DISTRIBUTING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. e, 1907.

Application filed January 14, 1907. Serial No. 352,092.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. Moons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county 4of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Distributing Means; and do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to liquid distributing means,

and the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly pointed outin the claims.

The invention is especially adapted for use in paint and varnish plants, refineries, or wherever oils and like liquids are used or manufactured, and distributed from place to place over lines of pipes from a given source of supply, and where it is exceedingly desirable to drain the liquids from the lines of distributing pipes and connections when the plant is shut down, as at night, or in the event of fire within the plant or factory. Thus, my object is embodied in means whereby the liquid is held in storage in a safe place from whence it is fed by air pressure to given points and elevations over a line of pipe, and to which storage place it may return by gravity upon relief of the air pressure brought about by hand or automatically, as in the construction hereinafter described in detail.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a cross section of a part of a building showing a combined air and liquid storage tank in the basement thereof with a distributing pipe extending upward therefrom to the different floors of the building, and also showing in diagrammatic form, an electric thermostat arrangement for controlling suitable air relief connections for the tank. Fig. 2 is a central sectional view of one of the combined meter and outlet valve connections for the distributing pipe. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a thermostatic electric circuit closing device adapted tobe used in connection with the controlling means for the air relief valve.

As herein shown, my invention is located within a building -2- in the basement of which I place a liquid storage tank -3M having a pipe connection -4- with an air compressor -5- of any suitable construction or style adapted to maintain a given amount of pressure upon the liquid within tank -3- and whereby the liquid may be forced or distributed through pipe line (5- connected with the bottom of said tank. Valved outlet connections -7- havingl meters -8- as a part thereof are placed at different levels on pipe line -6-, one or more at each fioor of building -2-, and the liquid may be withdrawn in measured quantities from connections -7- when the line is under air pressure.

Gaseous liquids such as oil, benzin, etc., require perfectly sealed lines of distribution to guard against lo'ss by evaporation and danger of ignition and explosion. Therefore, I provide a fioat valve mechanism -9-, see Fig. 2, for each connection 7 which will automatically close outside communication with the atmosphere during the time line -6- is filled with liquid and under pressure. In furtherance of this object, a supplementary pair of ball check valves, -10- and -lI-, respectively, are also employed to cut off atmospheric connections after pipe line G- and its connections -7- are emptied of their liquid contents, as they are designed to be at times and in which operation said valves perform a part. I`hus, when initial filling of pipe line -G- occurs the head of the liquid forces the air within the pipe upward and out of connections 7 through passage -12-, past oat valve V-9- and through open seat -14- for said valve, and thence to the atmosphere as the pressure from within unseats check valve -l0-. Meter 8d which comprises a rotatable body l5 with sliding vanes I6- is revolved by the air as it is forced through connection -7- by the advancing liquid and which liquid upon entering valve chamber 17- through passage l2- will raise fioat valve -9- until its head is seated to close opening -l4-. Plug valve -l8- is presumed to be closed during these operations and is only opened when a given amount of liquid is to be withdrawn and which amount is measured by the meter as the liquid is forced through the same.

Itis desirable for several reasons, one of which is precaution against fires, to drain pipe line -G- and its connections --'7- whenever the plant is shut down, as at night. Necessarily, a valuable product such as oil or benzin must not be wasted and therefore I cause a gravity return of the contents of the pipe to storage tank -3- by relieving the air pressure therein which result is obtained by opening either of the two Valves 19- or d20, respectively, of relief pipe -21- which is connected to the top of tank 3- and opens to the atmosphere or to a secondary receptacle (not shown) and, preferably outside building -2. This result is automatically obtained in the event of a fire within building -2- by the operation of thermostat device -22 which has a fusible member -23- adapted to collapse when exposed to heat and which normally holds electrical spring contacts 24- and #-25- apart. Said contact members are connected electrically with a magnet device -26 having an armature -27- adapted to act as a trip member to release weighted valve part -28 and whereby valve 20- is opened when the electrical circuit is closed. Any suitable automatic thermostat and valve arrangement may be employed, as the foregoing merely describes an operative arrangement in diagrammatic form. v

The foregoing description makes it clearly apparent that there is no waste of liquid in filling or draining the line and its connections; and that after each emptying operation and return of the liquid to storage tank -3, the same liquid may again be forced over the line and the same operation repeated indefinitely until the stored up liquid is entirely Withdrawn. A The means for obtaining a forced supply and a return to the source of supply may be other than the air pressure and relief means as shown and described, but the latter is preferred because of material advantages only obtainable by air compression especially in the application thereof to liquids, such as oil and its refined products.

1. In liquid distributing means, a liquid storage tank having compressed air connections, and a line of distributing pipe for said tank having valved outlet connections, in combination with means to relieve said tank of com pressed air, and an air intake valve for said line of pipe adapted to open automatically when the pressure is relieved within said tank, whereby the liquid within the pipe is drained back into said tank.

2. In liquid distributing means, a combined pressure and storage tank and a line of distributing pipe therefrom the drainage of the pipe, in combination with means to relieve the pressure within the said tank and thermostatie devices adapted to control said relief means whereby the liquid Within the pipe is drained back into said tank.

3. In liquid distributing means, a source of supply under pressure and a distributing line of connections therefor Wing valved outlets, in combination with means to relieve the pressure and to return the liquid in the distributing line of connections to its source and whereby said returned liquids may be again utilized and fed forward over the line as originally.

4. ln liquid distributing means, a storage tank havingr pressure connections and a line of distributing pipe for said tank havingr valved outlet connections, an air vent for said line of pipe having a valve adapted to close the vent upon iinal filling of the said line with liquid, and supplementary check valves for said air vent adapted 1o keep the saine closed after the pipes are emptied of liquid. said parts adapting the liquid to be returned to the tank and leaving the line of pipe sealed to the atmosphere.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD I. MOORE.

Witnesses E. M. FISHER,

having an automatic air intake valve adapted to facilitate R. B. Mosnn. 

